WASHINGTON — A Florida man was sentenced Friday to four years and nine months in federal prison for storming the United States Capitol during the January 6, 2021 insurrection and attacking a police officer.
Mason Joel Courson, 27, of Tamarac, Florida, was sentenced in federal court in the District of Columbia, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in November to assaulting, resisting or impeding a law enforcement officer with a dangerous weapon. The judge also ordered three years of supervised release and restitution of $2,000.
Courson was arrested in South Florida in December 2021.
According to court documents, Courson joined others opposing Democratic President Joe Biden’s election victory over former Republican President Donald Trump. A mob attacked the Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the election results, authorities said. Five people died in the violence.
According to an indictment, Courson participated in an assault on a Metropolitan Police Department officer who was beaten by a group armed with a baton, a flagpole and a crutch. Earlier that afternoon, Courson was involved in efforts to advance toward the Capitol in the area of the Lower West Terrace tunnel that leads to the building, authorities said.
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for alleged crimes related to the Capitol breach, authorities said. More than 350 people have been accused of assaulting or impeding compliance with the law.